4 Country Songs That Nashville Icon Steve Earle Wrote for Other Artists

There are quite a few excellent songwriters in the country music world who haven’t gotten as much love or respect as they truly deserve. And one such songwriter is Steve Earle.

Not only has the man written and recorded many stunning original works through the years, but he also penned a few songs for (and with) other musicians and songwriters. Let’s celebrate this alternative country music icon and look at just a few examples, shall we?

“Kerosene” by Miranda Lambert

Fans of country rock from the early aughts likely know this song by heart. In fact, “Kerosene” by Miranda Lambert was a big hit for the new-on-the-scene country star. Lambert has historically written many of her hit songs herself, but “Kerosene” is technically a co-written effort between her and Steve Earle. 

However, the two didn’t sit down to actually write the song together. Lambert said that she technically wrote the song herself, but gave a co-writer credit to Earle because the song is notably similar to his 1996 song “Feel Alright”. That might disqualify “Kerosene” from this list, but “Feel Alright” is a killer song that I want more people to listen to, so I’ll just leave this one in.

“A Far Cry From You” by Connie Smith

Remember this classic mid-80s country tune? “A Far Cry From You” by Connie Smith was actually written by Steve Earle. And it was quite an important song for Smith. It was her last tune to reach the Billboard country chart. This song was written by Earle shortly before he leaned more into his own recording career.

“When You Fall In Love” by Johnny Lee

This little early 1980s country tune was penned by Steve Earle and John Scott Sherrill. “When You Fall In Love” ended up going to Johnny Lee, and it was quite a success for the singer. “When You Fall In Love” peaked at No. 14 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and also did quite well in Canada.

“Thought I Was Dreaming” by Lawnie Wallance

Steve Earle lent his songwriting talents, along with Greg Trooper, to the song “Thought I Was Dreaming” by Lawnie Wallance. Released in 1996, this country song was pretty big in Canada, where it peaked at No. 8 on the Canada Country Tracks chart.

Photo by John D Shearer/Shutterstock

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